East's Nzelle Ayokosok has quickly become a top sprinter

Nov. 2—CHEYENNE — Jon Andersen has had several upperclassmen hit the 80-pound limit on the Power Tower pulley-based resistance training machine during his time as Cheyenne East's girls swimming coach.

However, Andersen had never had an underclassman max out on the machine until Nzelle Ayokosok did so last fall.

"She did it multiple times, which was really impressive," the coach said. "Her overall strength is something we haven't seen from someone her age in a long time."

Being able to explode off the starting block and off the walls has helped Ayokosok establish herself as one of Class 4A's top sprinters. The sophomore has the sixth-fastest 50-yard freestyle time in the state heading into today's preliminary round of the 4A state meet in Gillette. She also has the 13th-fastest qualifying time in the 100 freestyle.

What Ayokosok has accomplished this season is made all the more impressive considering this is only the third year she has swam competitively.

"I hated running, I hated catching things, and I hated basketball," Ayokosok said. "I saw a swimming pool and thought, 'I've always liked playing in the water, maybe I'd like swimming.' So, I decided to join a club and give swimming a try."

Ayokosok joined the Cheyenne Swim Club, but never got to compete before that organization dissolved during shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. She enjoyed her experience enough that she moved to Capital City Athletics once it resumed practice.

"At first, I came back because I had made some close friends for the first time," said Ayokosok, who moved to Cheyenne from Laramie when she was in early elementary school. "Eventually, I started getting good and placing at meets. I thought that was cool, so I kept doing it. I like swimming a lot and want to do it in college."

Ayokosok qualified for the 4A state meet as a freshman. She had the 16th-fastest time during the prelims in both the 50 and 100 freestyles. This fall, Ayokosok has qualified for state in both sprint freestyles, the 200 free, 100 breaststroke, 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley.

Sprints are her preferred events, though.

"If I could just do the 50 and 100 frees until the end of time, I would," she said with a laugh. "I might switch out the 100 free every once in a while, because sometimes that race annoys me. I mostly want to go down and back and be done.

"But I'd switch out the 100 free for the 100 breast every once in a while just to switch it up."

The leg strength Ayokosok exhibited on the Power Tower during practice has helped make her a strong sprinter, Andersen said.

"If you watch her start, it's unbelievable," he said. "She's usually the farthest person out after she leaves the block. She gets as close to the flags as anyone in the state. She has a really strong start, which gives her an early lead everyone has to make up for."

Explosive strength is crucial because swimmers lose a lot of momentum when they flip turn. Being strong off the wall helps them regain momentum and get back to their stroke quicker. The cables for the Power Towers are connected to a belt the swimmers wear around their waists as they push off the wall. Andersen encourages his athletes to try a few strokes once they surface in order to build more strength overall.

"They're really fun, and it's a good way to work on aggression when you're swimming," Ayokosok said. "After you push off the wall and break the surface, you can feel it really tugging you back. You have to get your breakout stroke really fast so you don't get pulled back.

"If you get pulled back, you might as well give up. You have to go fast on the breakout and keep the same speed and strength with it or you'll go flying back to the wall."

Ayokosok was apprehensive when she first saw the Power Towers on the pool deck because she thought the Lady Thunderbirds were going to be doing bicep curls and the like. She has since embraced the challenge of the training devices and resistance bands East hooks to the starting blocks.

"My goal is always to make it to the other side of the pool and touch the wall," she said. "I can do it pretty easily with these yellow bands we use. I've been able to do it with the green ones a few times, but they're harder than the yellow bands.

"They've helped me a lot because they work your endurance by taking longer to get to the other side of the pool."

Ayokosok is more than just a powerful swimmer. She also has an insatiable appetite to improve her technique, Andersen said.

"She's gotten a lot more serious about all of her strokes," the coach said. "She'll talk to me before and after races and after practices to see what she can do to improve in specific races.

"She really wants to know the minor details she needs to adjust to get even faster. Sometimes it's breathing technique and how many times she's breathing in the 50 free.

"Sometimes it's about getting into a tight tuck as she's rotating over the top on her turns. She wants to be the best she can be."

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Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on X at @jjohnke.